History

Citizens of Dallas County always have supported DCCCD with funding and human resources. The colleges have become an important asset to students and members of the community, and their investment in the district has paid dividends in economic development, workforce training and undergraduate education.

Almost 50 years ago, a visionary Board of Trustees – whose members included Dallas luminaries such as R.L. Thornton II, Mrs. Margaret McDermott and DCCCD’s founding chancellor, Dr. Bill J. Priest – set an ambitious goal. They wanted to create the best community college district in the United States.

They, and numerous other Dallas County civic leaders who supported their efforts, were dedicated to providing citizens with access to quality education that was both convenient and affordable. Thanks to their determination and hard work, Dallas citizens created Dallas County Community College District in 1965. El Centro College, DCCCD's first, opened in 1966.

The seven colleges and five community campuses of DCCCD enroll a total of more than 83,000 credit and 20,000 continuing education students each semester. The DCCCD system's enrollement ranks among the largest community colleges in Texas; tuition rates remain among the most affordable, compared to the statewide average. More than four decades of growth and progress are a credit to the vision of Dallas-area citizens.

Events in DCCCD’s History

1965

Dallas County voters created the Dallas County Junior College District and approved a $41.5 million bond issue to finance it.

1966

El Centro College began serving students in downtown Dallas.

1970

Eastfield College in Mesquite and Mountain View College in southwest Dallas enrolled their first students.

1972

Richland College opened in north Dallas.

1977

An additional $85 million in bonds supported DCCCD’s expansion, and construction began on three more colleges. Cedar Valley College in Lancaster and North Lake College in Irving opened.

1978

Brookhaven College in Farmers Branch enrolled its first students.

1989

The Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development (now the Bill J. Priest Campus of El Centro College) opened south of downtown Dallas, serving individuals and businesses of all sizes with training programs customized to meet their needs.

1991

The R. Jan LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications opened. The LeCroy Center is one of the largest producers of distance learning courses in the nation.

1999

The colleges of DCCCD welcomed their first class of 693 students into the Rising Star program.

2003

DCCCD appointed the district’s first Hispanic chancellor, Dr. Jesus Carreon.

2004

Voters overwhelmingly approved a $450 million bond package that provided new facilities for all seven colleges and created five new community education campuses designed to provide higher education opportunities for under-served or fast-growing areas in Dallas County.

2005

Richland College became the first community college in the United States to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

2006

DCCCD welcomed its first African-American chancellor, Dr. Wright Lassiter Jr., who previously had served as president of El Centro College for 20 years.

2009

Late in the year, DCCCD’s administrative offices moved from 701 Elm St. to renovated historic facilities at 1601 S. Lamar St. in south Dallas.

2010

The completion of 28 new buildings, including five community education campuses, signaled the close of the bond program approved by voters in 2004.